New York rated 58th for safety out of 215 cities surveyed across the globe – with Luxembourg the world’s safest and Baghdad its most dangerous, according to an annual study.

New York was tied with Boston, Chicago, cleveland, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Portland – all considered equally safe by Mercer Human Resource Consulting of London.

In the United States, Honolulu, Houston, Lexington, Ky., San Francisco and Winston-Salem, N.C., were jointly ranked safest of the 19 American cities surveyed.

New York City was sixth, and Atlanta, known for its heavy street crime and burglary, was at the bottom of the U.S. list.

Not too surprising is that Baghdad is considered the most dangerous city in the world, with the Ivory Coast’s Abidjan only slightly better.

“The top-ranking cities for personal safety and security are in politically stable countries with good international relations and sustainable economic growth,” said Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer.

“Most of the low-scoring cities are in countries with civil unrest, little law enforcement and high levels of crime.”

The survey – which takes into account terrorism and limitations of personal freedoms – helps major firms and companies place employees on international assignments.

German cities fared well, but Rome, Athens and London ranked poorly compared with other western European locations because of high levels of petty crime, while Madrid scored low because of terrorism, Mercer said.

The overall quality-of-life survey placed Geneva and Zurich at the top, ahead of Vancouver and Vienna.

The quality-of-life survey evaluated 39 different criteria, including social, political, economic and environmental factors, personal safety, health, transportation, education and other public services.

Honolulu and San Francisco ranked highest in the United States in quality of life and 25th internationally, while New York was in 39th place alongside London. Boston (36th internationally) and Portland, Ore., and Washington (both tied at 42nd) also fared well. Houston (68th) ranked lowest of the 19 American cities.

Unlike New York, which remained the same in its quality-of-life ranking, London fell three places since last year due to the rising costs of housing.

Safety isn’t Baghdad’s only problem. It also finished last in the quality-of-life survey, as it remains the world’s least attractive city for expatriates.

Worldwide city rankings

The rankings of 215 cities across the globe, according to safety and quality of life: